NSCA CSCS Performance-Enhancing Nutrition 3

Question 1

According to NSCA guidelines, what is the recommended carbohydrate intake (g/kg body weight/day) for an athlete engaged in moderate-intensity exercise lasting 1 hour per day?

Accepted Answer

5–7 g/kg/day

Answer

Moderate-intensity exercise lasting approximately 1 hour daily requires 5–7 g/kg/day of carbohydrate to maintain glycogen stores.

Question 2

Sodium bicarbonate is used as an ergogenic aid primarily because it acts as an:

Accepted Answer

Extracellular buffer that enhances efflux of H+ from muscle cells

Answer

Sodium bicarbonate increases blood bicarbonate levels, augmenting extracellular buffering capacity and facilitating H+ efflux from working muscle.

Question 3

Which branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) is most strongly associated with stimulating the mTOR signaling pathway and muscle protein synthesis?

Accepted Answer

Leucine

Answer

Leucine is the primary BCAA responsible for activating mTOR signaling and initiating muscle protein synthesis.

Question 4

An endurance athlete wants to use nitrate supplementation to improve performance. Which food source is richest in inorganic nitrate?

Accepted Answer

Beetroot juice

Answer

Beetroot juice has among the highest concentrations of inorganic nitrate of commonly studied foods, typically providing 300–500 mg per 500 mL.

Question 5

What is the primary mechanism by which dietary nitrate improves exercise efficiency?

Accepted Answer

Reduced oxygen cost of submaximal exercise through enhanced mitochondrial efficiency

Answer

Dietary nitrate is converted to nitric oxide, which improves mitochondrial efficiency and reduces the oxygen cost of a given power output.

NSCA CSCS - NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Practice Test

NSCA CSCS - NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist Practice Test

NSCA CSCS Performance-Enhancing Nutrition 3